Daniel Kirkpatrick
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Who’s in Your Clan? Talking About Family in Irish
Read more: Who’s in Your Clan? Talking About Family in IrishThere are few institutions more enduring than family. Moral judgment aside, family as a structure of society is something we can all relate to for better or worse. This is perhaps only more true of the Irish than other cultures and certainly an important place to turn to next. Learning to describe your family in…
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Céad Míle Fáilte – A Thousand Welcomes in Irish
Read more: Céad Míle Fáilte – A Thousand Welcomes in IrishThe Irish language, or Gaeilge, is much more than just a way of communicating—it’s a vital link to Ireland’s rich cultural heritage. As someone who has studied Irish history and culture, I’ve long admired its poetic rhythms and historical significance. It has shaped and reflects much of Irish history itself. But despite three earlier attempts,…
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Writing in Iron Age Ireland – Ogham and beyond
Read more: Writing in Iron Age Ireland – Ogham and beyondWritten language is something we all take for granted. Even as I write, I can’t help but see the irony in my reliance on such a medium to communicate with you the reader. By putting into words what I am thinking, I am connecting with all who read this both now and in the future.…
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Dun Aonghasa – Ancient maritime hub of the West
Read more: Dun Aonghasa – Ancient maritime hub of the WestThere are few more exhilarating sites that standing on Ireland’s west coast and staring out across the seemingly endless ocean before you. The chill breeze, pungent smell of kelp, cawing of gulls, and sound of crashing waves. It’s a scene that has stood still for millennia; a frozen tableau that Ireland’s ancient forbears would have…
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Ancient Rock of Cashel – A fortified myth
Read more: Ancient Rock of Cashel – A fortified mythEach year, as we approach Christmas, many of us will don the charade of Santa Claus for our children, portraying a wonderful joy-wrapped lie. We put out our shortbread and milk, hang up the stockings, possibly even ring a few bells to pretend the reindeers are nearby. The wonder and excitement of our children fuels…
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Metal Resources in Iron Age Ireland
Read more: Metal Resources in Iron Age IrelandI have a love/hate relationship with DIY projects. On the one hand, I find great satisfaction in fixing taps, laying floors, or mending walls. But on the other, all too often my ambition exceeds my budget, skill, or even the art of the possible. But, throughout all projects, no matter the size, there is one…
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Highways of Ancient Ireland
Read more: Highways of Ancient IrelandEarlier this summer I watched the road outside my home slowly broken up and resurfaced. The many weeks of hard labour (granted they took far longer than needed), disruption and chaos created, and the army of trucks carrying materials, all got me thinking about how such roads were built and used in our ancient past.…
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Gods of Ireland: The Tuatha De Dannan
Read more: Gods of Ireland: The Tuatha De DannanIf I were to list out the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Norse cultures, I can almost guarantee that their respective pantheons will come to mind. But if I now add the Irish to this list, I wonder how many would be able to list even one of their gods. Even as someone who grew up…
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Fashion in Iron Age Ireland
Read more: Fashion in Iron Age IrelandEvery morning all of us share in a ritual that dates back as far history itself. For, without exception, each of us will decide what we will wear for the day ahead. The questions we will ask to form our choices are the same questions our ancestors would have asked some 2,000 years ago: ‘What…
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Dunseverick Castle – Ulster’s hidden treasure
Read more: Dunseverick Castle – Ulster’s hidden treasureThere are few more iconic sites than the lone, solitary stones of a once great castle standing tall above the sea. Dunseverick, as it is known today, is but a shadow of its former glory. Now a National Trust site, all that remains are but a few stone walls displaced along a small headland –…